Rita Shah: An Inspiring dream and vision of becoming your own boss!
Rita Shah founder of Shabra Recycling and Plastics joined the DCEB/DIT Hothouse Be Inspired. Be an entrepreneur series encouraged students to become their own boss. Rita came to Ireland during the last recession in the eighties and setup Shabra in Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan. As an Indian, born in Kenya, Rita was schooled by Irish Catholics and has a great love of Ireland. She misses Kenya but considers Ireland her home and has found a love of the horses and has even learned a ‘cupla focal’ along the way. She is learning all the time and her ambition to build Shabra into the best reprocessing and recycling company in Europe and she is well on her way. Shabra sorts over 40,000 tonnes of mixed plastic bottles each year, has just opened a new €3.5 million plant employing over 60 staff.
Listen to the Rita Shah podcast
Rita was given a chance by the Irish business community and she knew she had to make it work. Through hard work, perseverance and a full commitment to succeed she proved that she could deliver and that she was here to stay. Rita and her business partner Oliver Brady live by this ethos and began the company with huge moral support and access to finance from her entrepreneurial father.
Difficult times
Rita explained how Shabra have experienced very difficult times and in the last recession the business environment was extremely challenging with interest rates soaring to 18%, VAT at 35% and credit terms set at 150 days.
Rita’s remarkable positive attitude and burning ambition to survive succeeded and two years after setup they started to manufacture their own plastics. In 1995 after a feasibility study, Shabra setup their own recycling plant instead of buying the material from Europe and they took the first steps towards creating Ireland first closed-loop recycling and manufacturing plant.
Legislation can make you and break you
In 1997 legislation meant that everyone in Ireland had to recycle and following this, in 2003 a 15c plastic bag levy on plastic bag was introduced having drastic consequence on Shabra. Overnight, the company’s turnover of over € 4 million practically diminished and the massive challenge to reinvent and relive emerged. It was do or die!
Rita admitted that this was the acid test the company faced and once again, she was determined to survive and keep her staff. It was decided that Shabra would literally take a gap year from business and they began to focus on the manufacturing black bags and industrial bags. Shabra came out fighting and they retained their staff and stayed in business. The sheer determination and responsibility to the company shone through.
Awards
Shabra are thriving today because they have established a closed loop company, which means that both recycling and manufacturing are done in the same plant. They are now exporting to other countries and are proud to deliver very high quality standards and excellence in their people.
At Shabra the entrepreneurial spirit is encouraged and there is a strong belief that business is about activating connections to stimulate growth. Rita’s message was to continue to develop and grow and stay positive, this was also reflected by the other speakers onstage.
Chair of the event was Conall O’ Móráin who interviewed DIT Hothouse Venture Programme graduates Gina Boles, founder of Gifted by Nature.ie and Kieran Murphy Founder TradersNow.com. Giving advice to the students both Gina and Kieran praised the Hothouse Venture Programme for helping them start their businesses.
Listen to the Rita Shah podcast
END
